Unleashing Demons

The Inside Story of Brexit

By: Craig Oliver

Narrated by: Craig Oliver

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

As David Cameron's director of politics and communications, Craig Oliver was in the room at every key moment during the EU referendum - the biggest political event in the UK since World War II.

Craig Oliver worked with all the players, including David Cameron, George Osbourne, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Theresa May and Peter Mandelson.

Unleashing Demons is based on his extensive notes, detailing everything from the decision to call a referendum to the subsequent civil war in the Conservative Party and the aftermath of the shocking result. This is raw history at its very best, packed with enthralling detail and colourful anecdotes from behind the closed doors of the campaign that changed British history.

©2016 Craig Oliver (P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton

Critic Reviews

"Utterly fascinating.... I suspect that every historian of the period will regard it as indispensable to appreciating this extraordinary phase in our history." (John Simpson)
"The compelling insider's account of the man who was at the centre of the Downing Street web." (Nick Robinson)
"This is one of the most vivid, frank and exciting inside accounts to have been written for years." (Anthony Seldon)
"A gripping fly-on-the-wall account of the frenzy in Downing Street during the EU campaign." (Robert Peston)

Honest account for what it does and doesn't say

Would you consider the audio edition of Unleashing Demons to be better than the print version?

Yes

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Oliver was as inside the Remain campaign as was possible to be. To all intents and purposes, he *ran* it as much as Cameron did.

What about Craig Oliver’s performance did you like?

An honest, likeable and enthusiastic reader. Oliver makes you feel his pain and frustration as the Remain campaign starts to unravel.

Any additional comments?

As honest an account of the Remain campaign as this is, it's written very much from a Tory (Conservative) view point. Prime Minister, David Cameron (usually referred to as "DC" or "PM" in the narrative) and Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne (usually just "George") are portrayed as level headed, reasonable and honest politicians. But then who wouldn't be when set against Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage?

For Oliver, the failure of the Remain came down mainly to the Leave campaign switching their focus to immigration, once they's realised (correctly) that their own economic arguments were being seen as the nonsense that they were. Remain had no real response to this, other than to say that yes, they realised that immigration is a problem but destroying the economy wasn't the way to deal with it. By Oliver's own admission, this was a weak counter.

Oliver also spends much of the narrative railing against the pro-Brexit bias of much of the British media. This is, of course, hypocrisy of the highest order. That same media was just as biased in favour of the Tories during the previous year's General Election, and Oliver does admit that "I took what I could get" from them at that time.

The major weakness of Oliver's story is his failure to concede, or even comprehend, how Cameron and Osborne brought the whole mess upon themselves. Quite literally, in that it was Cameron who called the referendum in the first place. Oliver deal with this quite early in the book, and his explanation is breathtaking in its born to rule, Tory arrogance: in his view, Cameron had to call the referendum because without it "the Conservative Party, and therefore the country, would have been ungovernable". Got that, everyone? It's not that Cameron put the interests of his party before the interests of the country, oh no. In fact, that would be impossible because the Tories and the country are actually one and the same, indivisible; what's good for one must be good for the other.

Another glaring omission is the severe austerity measures that Cameron and Osborne imposed in the UK from 2010 onwards, the wake of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The cruel cuts, which as ever, fell disproportionally on the poor, when it was rich bankers who caused the GFC in the first place. When scratching his head, trying work out why people had voted for Leave, at no point does Oliver acknowledge that the resentment against austerity might have had anything to do with it.

Oliver ends his book with Cameron being chauffeured out of 10 Downing Street for the last time. "I wonder", muses Oliver, "how history will judge him?" I don't wonder. Cameron was an idiot and history will judge him as one.

Shorter than All Out War

I feel after listening to 6 hours of All out war, and all of this, the central message regarding the background of Brexit is: you can't do that much about immigration which wouldn't be as bad as fear mongering would have you believe and there are remedies that could be pursued ... maybe. And the economic impact is likely to be bad. Leave has no plan and Remain couldn't sell its message. Also ... the media.

The book was shorter, but felt like it contained the same information as All Out War, with a blow by blow account, but trimming a lot of bloat. Arguably this was more partisan, but you got the point.

Overall I probably recommend against this title also, except for the fans (though I am unsure of what), as the substance is lacking and it feels mostly like a whinge with nuggets at best buried at lower levels.

Great Back Story

Would you listen to Unleashing Demons again? Why?

Probably not but only because the pace on modern political events will out pace the story written by the author.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Unleashing Demons?

The realization that nothing David Cameron did would likely have saved the membership of the UK in the EU.

Which character – as performed by Craig Oliver – was your favorite?

His revelations of the character of (in his opinion) the major players in the campaign for and against leaving the EU

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

That the current prime minister most likely was for leave but hid it well in the run up to the referendum.

A self-serving therapeutic memoir that disappoints

Would you try another book written by Craig Oliver or narrated by Craig Oliver?

The narration was fine.

What could Craig Oliver have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Taken time to reflect and leave his bubble before putting his thoughts down on paper.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narration was fine.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Unleashing Demons?

Nothing really.

Any additional comments?

I was a head says remain, heart says leave voter so I hope that this comes across as a balanced review. I found that the book focused on peddling the same rhetoric ad nauseam, the reason that leave won was clearly due to a failed campaign by Cameron et al with Craig playing a big part in this failure. The writing feels like a medicinal piece to try and convince himself that there was nothing more they could have done when deep down even Craig must realise that with the resources and support they received a better campaign would have sailed to victory at a canter.

The book also re-affirms how thick the bubble that 'they' live in really is. There are several instances which demonstrate this; the most poignant being an explanation of the campaigns response to the allegations that David Cameron received a gift of £200,000 from his mother in order to avoid inheritance tax. Craig acts utterly bemused that they offered a dubious excuse and it wasn't readily gobbled up by the media/public. This contempt and lack of respect for the public is exactly why a more schismatic form of politics is taking hold, I hope that changes are made soon before it is too late.

A partisan attempt to refight the battles

Would you try another book written by Craig Oliver or narrated by Craig Oliver?

I don't think I would choose another book by this author. The narration was rushed and breathy, but the main issue was that this was a clearly partisan attempt to re-spin an already lost debate. I appreciate that Mr Oliver is a spin doctor by profession, and I have read a lot of political autobiographies that attempt the same thing - but this a particularly egregious and transparent example.

What could Craig Oliver have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Be more objective. His treatment of the facts was far too heavily skewed by his own position on the issues.

What three words best describe Craig Oliver’s performance?

Amateurish, rushed, breathy

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I got to the end of it!

Any additional comments?

Its a shame that the country has been denied a more balanced and less partisan view of the referendum campaign. I appreciate that it was a race to publish, but it would be interesting to see if he would have written it differently after 5 years has elapsed.

Take with a pinch of salt

Very interesting to hear an opinion from the inside, but my goodness he doesn’t half love David Cameron. It does feel like a bit of a gushing ode to the former PM at times...which can be a bit cringeworthy. But nonetheless an interesting insight into Downing Street at the time.

A fascinating insight ...

A fascinating insight into the biggest UK political event for a generation. Craig is an excellent narrator and brings the events leading up to Brexit to life.

The pace of the book is spot on. The description of waves of confidence/doubt, in Number 10 gives you a sense of the high stakes in play here.

Cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Loved it!

An amazing account from behind the scenes of daily political life. What an outstanding servant to the PM!

entertaining

but bias is overwhelming. Writers main points are DC a great man, discredit Michael Gove as a weak quisling and BBC isn't fair.

There are 2 sides to every story so will search out the opposing story.

Read well.

Great story about a very poor campaign

I enjoyed this book. It's astonishing how little responsibility Craig takes for what happened. What should have been an easy win turned into a disaster and a lot of it was Oliver's fault. It's hard not to agree with Cummings's description of Craig Oliver as 'clueless'. But it's a great yarn all the same, although I think Craig made a mistake narrating it himself. I prefer when professional actors do it unless the author is a bona fide celebrity whose voice you know well.

A genuine eye-opener

A newspaper reviewer highlights the fact that in the book author's opinion, only he (Craig Oliver) and the Prime Minister at the time (David Cameron). "got it right".
That's the wrong mindset in which to listen to this book.This is an wholly idiosyncratic but sincere insider account of a turbulent period in British politics. Knowing the outcome of the Referendum, I listened to and marvelled at the manipulations of other politicians who were more intent on furthering their individual careers than being loyal to the man who led the Conservative Party back into power.
The interaction between the BBC and Downing Street, and between the latter and print journalists is equally absorbing.
This book is too "raw" and hastily-written to be well structured prose, but what a disturbing insight it provides into the machinations of those who seek to govern us. The author's delivery is too garbled at times, but this is a fascinating book that I would highly recommend listening to, but beware it will destroy any remaining trust one has in democratic politics.

A problematic book

What disappointed you about Unleashing Demons?

There are a few books about Brexit out there and I have read or listened to most. This is without doubt the weakest of the bunch. The author seems to write with hindsight and it is clear in many sections that we are being spun a retrospective narrative. The actual description of the vote and the aftermath lacks depth, drama or any effective writing skill.

Would you ever listen to anything by Craig Oliver again?

No, although I am sure that I will read some of his work as a speech writer. The long format just does not suit his style.

Would you be willing to try another one of Craig Oliver’s performances?

Very flat, and should have used the skills of an actor to bring the text to some form of life.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Yes, it is an interesting account, but at an undergraduate level the book would get a solid 2.2

Any additional comments?

Read ALL OUT WAR by Tim Shipman - a much better and more balanced account of the same events.

Self gratifying

An excuse is an excuse is an excuse, all I hear in this book Is self pitying excuses with someone who wants to blame everyone else for his mistakes and thinks that the shine only shines out of his gods backside David Cameron.